Fire destroys rural Sheridan residence; arrest made

SHERIDAN — An arrest has been made in connection with a two-alarm fire early Wednesday morning that destroyed a rural Sheridan home at 16955 E. Rock Creek Road.

Brittany Rene Paschke, 23, who was living at the residence, was charged with one count each of first-degree arson, reckless burning and recklessly endangering anothere person. First-degree arson is a Class A felony and Measure 11 offense punishable by a mandatory minimum prison sentence on conviction.

Paschke was also wanted on a Marion County warrant for driving under the influence of intoxicants.

The fire was reported about 2:30 a.m., according to Sheridan Fire District spokesperson Wesley Rolfson. The first arriving unit reported the home was fully involved. An undetermined number of occupants were not home at the time.

Firefighters had the blaze under control in about 50 minutes, and a majority of the units were released at about 6.

The Yamhill County Fire Investigation Team was called out to determine a cause.

Seven pieces of equipment from the Amity, Sheridan and West Valley fire districts and 29 firefighters were on scene. Units and personnel from McMinnville and West Valley covered the Sheridan station.

The 728-square-foot, two bedroom/one bath home is owned by Stanley and Victoria Turnidge of Amity, according to the Yamhill County Assessor's office. It was built in 1938.